It’s so easy to get spoiled during the summer, as produce is plentiful, and needs little help from us to shine. This salad is a perfect example. Ripe, juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, and vibrant fresh-picked mint from the garden come together for a simple, but incredibly satisfying no-cook side dish.

As we often say when talking about Dress It Up Dressing, ingredients this good shouldn’t be disguised—dressing should enhance them, highlighting their innate deliciousness. All this trio of cucumbers, tomatoes, and mint needs is a bit of our Red Wine Vinaigrette, a grating of fresh lemon zest, and some salt to make your taste buds go “whoa”. That was my reaction when I first made. I truly wasn’t expecting such a humble salad to stop me in my tracks, and yet it did. Even with all my decades spent in the kitchen (I started young!), there are still plenty of surprises yet to be discovered.

Have you ever wondered why salads are reserved for lunch and dinner only? Me, too. That’s exactly what was on my mind last week, as I set out to make breakfast.

It all started with a craving for poached eggs. Toasting up some bread was the obvious, and easy choice, but I didn’t want to feel weighed down from carbs so early in the morning. My mind wandered to the bag of baby lettuce I’d picked up at the farmers’ market earlier in the week. Bingo. A breakfast salad was the perfect answer.

I’m sharing the recipe as I made it that morning. No hard or fast rules and measurements. This is the way I often cook at home—a handful of this, a pinch of that. If it helps to guide you, I have small hands! Choose whatever greens you have in the fridge, or garden. Mine was a mesclun mix, but baby spinach or even chopped up romaine hearts would work well.

I love pecans, and brought back a sack from a recent trip to North Carolina, so that’s what I used to add some texture (and added protein) to my breakfast salad. Go with what you like, and again, have on hand. Walnuts would be a close runner up for me, personally.

How you cook the egg is up to you. I poached mine to keep it on the leaner side (no oil necessary), but a crispy, fried sunny side up egg would be equally delicious.

Pizza is a year-round regular at our house. Once the temps heat up, I swap in my BBQ for the oven, and take my pizza-making habits outdoors. This Grilled Mediterranean Pizza is hearty, filling, and perfect for hosting a crowd, but also comes together quickly for a fast weeknight dinner.